Hong Kong delays elections citing pandemic.
Hong Kong:
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam postponed the Chinese-led city’s legislature elections for a year on Friday due to an increase in coronavirus cases, dealing a heavy blow to the pro-democracy opposition who hoped to make huge gains.
The United States was quick to condemn the move, saying it was the latest example of Beijing undermining democracy in Chinese-ruled territory.
“This action undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have supported Hong Kong’s prosperity,” White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told reporters.
The decision to delay the vote came after 12 pro-democracy candidates were disqualified from the candidacy for perceived subversive intentions and for opposing a sweeping new security law imposed by Beijing, which raised questions among many. of people on whether the pandemic was the real reason for the delay.
“Postponing the September elections for a year is a cynical move to contain a political emergency, not a public health emergency,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch.
“It just allows Hong Kong Managing Director Carrie Lam to deny Hong Kong people the right to choose their government.”
Avery Ng, general secretary of the League of Social Democrats, was also skeptical.
“Obviously, the Chinese Communist Party is using COVID-19 as a cover to prevent Hong Kong people from voting against the government and the potential victory of the majority of Democrats,” he told Reuters.
“With the massive disqualification of candidates, the CCP … only allows an election in which they can control the outcome to take place.”
Germany has announced that it will suspend its extradition agreement with Hong Kong following Lam’s decision.
The opposition aimed to ride a wave of resentment over the National Security Act to win a majority in the Legislative Council, where half of the seats are directly elected and the other half are mostly occupied by pro Beijing.
Lam said she had to invoke emergency law to make the postponement and that no political considerations were involved. The Chinese parliament would decide how to fill the legislative void, she added.
She told reporters the decision was aimed at protecting people’s health.
“We have 3 million voters walking out in one day in Hong Kong, such a flow of people would lead to a high risk of infection,” Lam said.
Hong Kong has reported more than 3,000 coronavirus cases since January, far fewer than in other major cities around the world. But the number of new infections has been in triple digits for 10 days.
Singapore’s rival financial center, which has experienced a larger coronavirus outbreak, held a general election in July. Many pro-democracy activists had suspected that Lam would use the coronavirus to delay the elections.
The poll was said to have been the former British colony’s first official vote since Beijing imposed the security law to tackle what China broadly defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with penalties of up to life imprisonment.
Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 on a “one country, two systems” formula guaranteeing freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. Critics of the new law say it undermines this autonomy.
The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the law is needed to preserve order and prosperity after months of often violent protests against China last year.
“I anticipated it, because of the social movements this year, we had already foreseen that the government would not give us the right to let us vote,” said Janis Chow, 25, resident. “I’m disappointed but I was ready for it. “
‘POLITICAL PURGE’
News of the postponement came as the nomination period for candidates seeking to run for office came to an end.
Among the 12 disqualified opposition candidates was Joshua Wong, who rose to fame by leading pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong as a teenager in 2012 and 2014.
“Stopping me from running … would not end our cause for democracy,” said Wong, 23.
Wong, who China calls a “black hand” of foreign forces, said his disqualification was “invalid and ridiculous” and that the new law was a “legal weapon used against dissidents.”
The government denies political censorship or the removal of the right to stand for parliamentary elections.
Authorities also disqualified some members of the Civic Party, a moderate, old-guard opposition group, and others who won an unofficial “primary” vote organized by the opposition camp this month.
This independently organized vote saw a younger and more defiant generation of Democrats take the lead in the opposition, but the Civic Party’s disqualifications indicate that Beijing is less and less tolerant of even moderate voices.
Britain said it was clear the candidates had been excluded because of their political views. The last British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, called it a “scandalous political purge”.
The Chinese Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau said in a statement officials will be sent to Hong Kong to conduct large-scale coronavirus testing “to help Hong Kong build a full-scale quarantine and treatment center “, again raising concern among some local residents, this time China may use this as an excuse to collect DNA samples for surveillance.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
